1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical cables, and, more particularly, to water cooled kickless electrical cables.
2. Description of the Related Art
Water cooled kickless electrical cables are used to carry electrical power from a source to an electrical load which consumes a high amount of electrical energy. For example, such an electrical cable may be used to carry electrical power to a welding gun used on a welding robot. The cable includes a plurality of multi-strand electrical conductors in the form of wire ropes which are arranged around the longitudinal axis of the cable such that the conductors alternate in polarity. This arrangement of the electrical conductors within the cable has been found to substantially reduce the "kicking" of the cable which occurs when the high electrical load is energized.
Water cooled kickless electrical cables are typically constructed with an electrical terminal at the end thereof consisting of two terminal halves which are respectively attached to one-half of the electrical conductors within the cable. Each terminal half is associated with a different electrical polarity. The attachment between the electrical conductors and associated terminal half must be constructed such that electrical continuity is ensured and undue mechanical forces on the electrical conductors are avoided. For example, it is known to attach each electrical conductor to an electrically conducting bar. Each terminal half is formed with a plurality of slots in an axial end face thereof having a shape which corresponds to that of the bars. The bars are received within these slots and attached to the terminal halves. A problem with this type of arrangement is that the electrical conductors are not supported to any significant extent at the connection location with the bars. Moreover, the electrical conductors must be twisted and otherwise routed such that the conductors are ultimately in the alternating polarity configuration within the cable. The distance between the ends of the electrical conductors and the locations where the conductors are actually arranged in alternating polarity may be appreciable. Since it is desirable to arrange the conductors in the alternating polarity to prevent "kicking" of the cable, it is likewise desirable to minimize the distance between the ends of the electrical conductors which are attached to the terminal halves and the location at which the conductors are disposed in alternating polarity relative to each other.
What is needed in the art is a water cooled kickless electrical cable which minimizes the distance adjacent to the terminals which is necessary to arrange the electrical conductors in alternating polarity relative to each other, and which also reduces mechanical stress on the electrical conductors.